By Europe Correspondent Justin Webb

Veterinary experts working for the European Commission have accused the French authorities of not doing enough to halt the spread of BSE or "mad cow disease".

The vets found traces of banned substances in feed-stuffs and they criticised farmers for delays in reporting suspected BSE cases.

A Commission spokesman stressed that all systems have failings and there was no suggestion from the commission that French beef was unsafe.

But the French authorities will find these criticisms embarrassing in the light of their refusal to allow imports of British beef, which is subject to much more stringent controls.

European Commission vets issue regular reports on how countries are dealing with the BSE crisis.

This one suggests that there are significant failings in the French approach.

In particular, it says notification of suspected new cases of BSE by French farmers occurs only after a certain hesitation and, in some cases, after a considerable delay.

If the vets are right, there must be at least a risk that some BSE cases are being slaughtered for human consumption.

There is also a risk of under-reporting of BSE, the report says, because the French definitions of those animals that should be considered at risk are too lax.

In particular, the veterinary experts complain that fallen stock is not considered as suspect and is destroyed without the authorities being notified.

They are also critical of the French controls on feed-stuffs.

They suggest that some banned material is still being fed to cattle, in contravention of EU rules.